“How long have you worked in the UN?” “What made you want to work in the UN?”, “How can one begin to work in the UN?” were some of the questions that middle school students had the opportunity to ask the Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee and ACS Athens alumnus, Dr. Photini Pazartzis. Eighth grade students followed the presentation in the theater, while sixth and seventh graders had a live stream presentation in their advisory classes.

Dr. Photini Pazartzis, an ACS Alumnus, Professor of International Law at the University of Athens and the Chair of the UN Human Rights Committee honored us with her presence in order to speak to middle school students about the United Nations and the UN SDGs. Dr. Pazartzis spoke about the foundation treaty of the UN, the three pillars, and specifically the Human Rights Committee in which she has been unanimously elected as Chair. Students were able to understand how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are linked to the three pillars.

“ACS Athens is a small United Nations”, Dr. Pazartzis told students. 

“You are very lucky to be in this school, you have people from all over the world that are your friends and will remain your friends.” 

She also stressed the importance of how having a goal in mind can help one develop their future careers.  

The guest speaker was introduced by Dr. Pelonis who also gave the message to middle school students that the purpose of education is for you to take positive action to improve life and living on the planet.

Students were also involved in this day’s event. Specifically, a member of the Student Council spoke about the UN SDG advisory work and how sustainability can be achieved through personal commitments to the UN SDGs. The Middle School Honor Code shared information about the World International Day for Tolerance and how tolerance is an integral part of our ACS community and one of the club’s goals. The day also had a touch of music as Ms. Mancl's Intermediate Instrumental Music class played This Land Is Your Land and a member of the Student Council read the lyrics.

A beautiful event with many powerful messages and a strong sense of community and belonging.